Hey there everybody, welcome back for the penultimate chapter of the current story arc! WOOOO!
Also, before we get started, a heartfelt Thank You to everyone who left a review last chapter! Thank You Vostok4142, Hellbreaker, noone297, Shaded Azure, Baoh joestar and Bagration! Thank you all for your continued support for The Darkling Thrush, it means a great deal and I hope you all find this chapter to be just as good as all the others thus far.
As always, notes down below!
XLIX
Brand New Day: Part 4
The resulting shockwave of the explosion rocked the Safe Zone as the resulting fireball flared upwards, eerily illuminating the night sky. It was at that moment when instinct took over and Cardin leapt down from his watchtower, the ground shaking beneath his feet. He took off into a sprint without pause, dashing off towards the blaze in spite of the protests of his fellow watchmen.
It was treason to abandon his post, but Cardin didn't care, not like there was a cell laying around for them to throw him into. When he'd joined the Militia, Cardin had done so under the pretense to protect innocents. Now, there was danger, the possibility of an out of control blaze. So through frozen mobs of people who stared in wonder and horror, he ran, his legs carrying him towards the explosion as fast they could.
Arriving on the scene, Cardin was greeted by the sight of the burning building that housed the Safe Zone's food stores. He paused and studied the building evaluating if it were possible that anything inside hadn't already burnt to a crisp. Without the food stores inside, it would only be a matter of days before a riot and all the people would be swept up in the resulting chaos. And for a moment, just a moment, Cardin felt a twinge of hope at the sight of something glimmering through a window. Sadly, however, the roof came crashing inward, causing the rest of the building to implode, and shooting burning stacks of f lumber in all directions.
Now was his chance, the fire was dispersing outward, maybe he could leap in, perhaps his semblance could take the brunt of the fire while he saved what food he could. But Cardin couldn't dwell on it, not while the fires raged and threatened to spread to the surrounding areas. The options at his disposal were limited, he couldn't simply douse the flames, which would take more resources than he had available. So then he reached behind his back and then drew his mace. The Atlesian military had been very helpful in resupplying the newly minted Militia's weapons, the fresh Magma Dust crystal flared brightly, burning to life at the center of the mace. In order to route the flames, he would fight fire with fire.
He quickly raised his mace then slammed it down, shooting hot magma rippling across the ground around the burning building and smoldering anything in its path. To prevent the fire from spreading, Cardin would simply incinerate its path before it could reach it. He raised his mace again, then began his work in boxing the building in. With all pathways cut of, the fire would only burn itself out.
"What the hell happened here?!" A voice not too familiar shouted, catching Cardin's ear. The Winchester turned to find a growing crowd and one Lance Grimsby emerging to the forefront, an accusing look on his face.
"There was a fire." Cardin muttered dryly, jotting a thumb over his shoulder to the still burning building.
"Yeah I can see that." Lance's glare intensified.
Response teams of former Vale PD and Atlesian Military soon arrived, pushing past Cardin and Lance to battle the fires themselves. Buckets of sand and salty water from the nearby beach were used to douse the still raging flames. The dying fire flared in futility as the combined Valean and Atlesian force extinguished its flame, leaving only the charred building, the smoldering food reserves and one other unmistakable object.
"What the fuck is that doing in there?" Lance shouted angrily, pointing into the exposed building at the burnt corpse of and Atlesian Knight resting within. "What did you people do?!" He shouted in Cardin's face.
"We didn't do anything." Cardin shot back, standing his ground as Lance.
"Then explain that!" Lance exclaimed pointing to the Knight once more, this time standing to the side, giving the crowd a good look at the robotic corpse resting within.
"Yeah!" Some voice in the mass mob shouted in agreement. "Why's there a Knight?!"
"I'd bet anything that your damn Knight caused this, isn't that right folks?!" Lance addressed the crowd, earning a number of shouts in agreement. "It wasn't bad enough your damn machines were killing us a week ago, now they're starving us!"
"Let's not jump to any conclusions," Cardin shouted, raising his hands defensively to the crowd. "The Knights have been offline ever since the Flagship was destroyed. There's no way the Knight could have done this!"
"Just like there was no way they couldn't turn their guns on the people of Vale?" Lance said pointedly, raising a hand to prod Cardin in the chest. "What do you say to that, Atlesain Sympathizer?"
"I say we've all been through a lot," Cardin said, smacking Lance's hand aside and turning to the crowd. Lance was only an instigating presence, and the Winchester realized that in order to prevent an angry mob from sprouting, he would need to address them directly. Suffice to say, Cardin wasn't much of speech guy, more of the type to speak with his fists than with his mouth. But dire times called for desperate measures.
"People of Vale, lend me your ears, please!" He called out, holstering his mace on his back as a show of good faith. The simmering anger of the crowd calmed for a moment as all eyes fell on Cardin. "I know you're angry, I know you're scared. These are dark days and they seem to be growing darker, but what can't start turning on each other." He turned pointed at the Atlesian Knight within the building. "I know what this looks like, as do you. But the Atlesian Military hasn't been in control of the Knights since the attack, they are not at fault."
"Then who is, Cardin?!" Lance shouted, interrupting the Winchester. "If not the Atlesians then please, tell us, who is responsible for burning our food?!"
"No one is!" Cardin exclaimed, not playing into Lance's hands. "People of Vale, we've been blown up, shot at for years! And when times seemed dire, when all hope was lost, we still endured! This isn't an exception!" Cardin motioned to the far off ruined city. "The whole world has thrown its best shot at Vale and we're still here! So please, I ask of you, please, shoulder this one slight just once more, please."
There was a murmuring amongst the gathered crowd, but whatever anger they held seemed to dissipate from their faces, leaving tired, sorrowful looks of men and women who'd endured the greatest attack in the history of Remnant. Without a word, they began to disperse, heading back to wherever they now dwelled, the homes and lives they knew just a far off past.
"This isn't going to last, Cardin." Lance sneered before turning to leave, just as more Atlesain soldiers began to arrive on the scene.
"Drop Dead, Lance." Cardin muttered, turning to head back towards the border of the Safe Zone, recalling that he was still on duty.
It had only been six days since the whole world came crashing down around them and only now did it feel like they were dead in the water. News quickly spread of the Atlesain Knight found in the fire and tensions were at an all-time high. Sooner or later, something was going to give and all Russel could do was watch.
Walking through the Melting Pot in under the cloudy dull morning, the Thrush walked, getting a feel for the goings on around their feebly shanty towns. People talked all the time these days, with the power gone out and the internet gone dead, it was all they really had to keep from going insane.
"A Knight, can you believe it?" Russel eavesdropped from some random woman. "Damn blasted thing burnt down everything."
"I know right, how unlucky could we be?" Another woman said in response. "Atlesians can't just let us be."
"How long until someone does something?" The Thrush eavesdropped from some Haven student as he walked past.
"We're all going to bleeding starve, we're all going to bleeding starve!" He heard someone shouting from across the street.
"I hear Atlesains are arriving in two days, you don't think they'll have food do you?" Some young scrappy looking chap said to an older gentleman.
"Bah! They'll be bloody invading!" The old man shouted in a defeated tone.
"We need to gear up, get ready to seize their building." A man whispered to his companion as they walked past Russel.
"They've got the food and we need it more than they do." The man's companion nodded in agreement.
Russel bitterly bit his lip as he recalled the night before, how after they'd broken into the Atlesian compound and raided their food stores, he'd seen Lance and a helmeted woman making off with a Knight. It couldn't have been a coincidence that a Knight was found at the scene and Lance trotting in just about ready to incite a damn purge. And all Russel could do was mentally curse himself for his own inaction.
If only he'd known, then perhaps Russel could've intervened. But the fact was that he didn't and now the whole Safe Zone was about to blow. The Atlesians were due in two days' time, which meant there was just enough time for something else to go horribly wrong and justify people's demand for blood. People's lives were in jeopardy now because of him and all Russel could do was waltz around a mope about it.
'How utterly pathetic.' He thought to himself before deciding to make one final pass around the Melting Pot. He picked up on the usual chatter of how hopeless the people's situation was, and also some rather inconsequential private conversations.
With his business concluded, Russel began to head out of the Melting Pot. Along the way, however, he found himself walking past the familiar laundry mat where the Shade students now called their home. He thought of the food he'd stolen for them, how given the current shortage of edible goods, those cans of beans were now even more valuable. Hopefully they hadn't gorged themselves and rationed it, he thought to himself as he peered in through one of the windows.
"Not a step closer." A foreign voice called out to the Thrush from above. Glancing upward, Russel spotted one May Zedong at her post atop the laundry mat, sniper rifle in hand and peering through the scope. "Intruders will be shot on sight." She stated simply.
"Too bad our resources are so bad." Russel waved at the BRNZ sniper. "Is your gun even loaded?"
"Take another step and I'll show you." May spoke in a cold detached tone, as if she weren't threatening Russel but rather stating a fact.
"Whoa, hold it May, he's a friendly!" A familiar voice shouted up from the roof. Stepping into view was none other than the NDGO leader herself. "So what brings you back this way, Russel? You didn't bring us any more food now, did you?"
"Don't tell me you crazy kids ate it all already." Russel laughed. "Just in the neighborhood, walking around, nothing on the TV these days."
"That's a shame," Nebula smirked. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to be busy, would you?"
Russel cracked an amused smile. "If I wasn't?"
"I'd ask you for your help with something." Nebula matched the Thrush's grin.
"Well what do you know? My schedule just freed up."
"Well how about that," The NDGO leader chuckled. "I'll meet you down below in the mat for the specifics." She said before turning and stepping out of Russel's view.
Under the watchful eye of May, Russel entered the laundry mat and into the middle of a heated exchange. In the center of the room were none other than Panini and Brawnz, trying to scream each other's ear off while their fellow students stood on either side of the room. As Russel recalled from their previous interactions, there was something akin to a power struggle amongst their ranks. He just never thought it could be this bad.
But things seemed civil enough for the pair of warring Team Leaders to drop their argument and turn to address their unannounced visitor. Soon enough, all eyes were on Russel who waved at the newfound attention. "Howdy." He smirked.
"What the fuck are you doing here, Russel?" Panini questioned, sparing a glare away from Branwz and to the Thrush.
"Regretting I didn't bring popcorn." Russel spoke dryly, earning a few snickers from a number of the audience on Branwz's side of the room. "Oh, don't stop on my account, this is quite fascinating."
"How the hell did you get past May?" Brawnz asked with genuine surprise. "She'd have shot you dead before you were twenty feet from the door."
"Because I asked her not to," Nebula said, emerging from a backroom, quickly gaining the attention of her fellow students. "Russel needs help with a job, the kind that requires a certain Vacuan touch. And I just so happen to be the only one who doesn't have her head of their ass." She shot a glare at both Brawnz and Panini as she walked past. "Shall we?"
The NDGO leader quickly crossed the room under the scrutiny of not only her peers but also of Russel. The lie didn't go unnoticed, but Russel knew better than to call her out on it while she was making an ass of her contemporaries. Without a word exchanged between them, Nebula walked out the door with Russel following her close behind.
"What was that all about?" The Thrush asked as they walked out onto the streets of The Melting Pot, right out of hearing range of the Shade students.
"Politics." Nebula muttered with disgust as the pair set off down the cluttered and ruined street.
"Was you asking for my 'help' politics?" Russel inquired, not exactly keen on the idea of being used as means to end.
"No, that was me just wanting to get the hell out of there," Nebula jotted a thumb over her shoulder back at the laundry mat that seemed to be getting smaller the further they got away from it. "Day in, day out, every hour, every second, they're at each other's throats. And I can't take it anymore." She let out a tired sigh. "Just need to get away for a bit, that's all."
"Can't be that bad, can it?"
"Turns out it can." The NDGO leader sighed once more. "I'm not sure if it's sexual tension with them living together or that they just disagree on a fundamental level, but it's been driving a wedge in our group. They've been clashing ever since about what we should be doing and what we shouldn't be. It's been the absolute worst."
"Yeesh," He muttered. "
"I don't know, I just want what's best for my people."
"Yeah, I sort of picked up on that when you asked me to steal food for you guys."
"To be fair, that was your idea, I was hoping you'd be able to talk to your friend for us."
"Yeah, about that," He said as they rounded another corner, bypassing traffic and exiting the Melting pot. "I know my share of Vale history. Violette? You wouldn't happen to be related to 'The' Violette, would you?"
"Guilty as charged, I'm afraid." Nebula said, seeing no point in denying her heritage. "I'm seriously considering changing it one day though."
"Why?" He raised a brow. "Not that it's any of my business, but, why do you want to change it?"
"My whole life I've been told every Violette is destined to lose." Nebula sighed, as she stared out ahead past the broken and battered buildings and to the sandy shore ahead. "Ever since Orion Violette's defeat at the hands of Roman Winchester, my family's been cursed. I thought I was the exception to the rule, excelling at everything from tests to combat, but as evident with the Vytal tournament and how little a difference I made during the Fall, I'm starting to think that maybe they're right.
"-Ttch-," Russel sharply inhaled at the word 'destined'. "I doubt a 'loser' could convince the two biggest loudmouths in the lot to go to us, I mean. I can tell from your associates we weren't your first choice."
"You don't have to be a winner either. You were our only option."
"Still," He shrugged as they wandered without direction across the Safe Zone. "You sell yourself short. It's the little things that matter too."
"Heh," She laughed lightly. "Desperate times call for desperate measures, and that includes making nice with the people you're told to hate since childhood."
"You're told to hate Cardin?" Russel asked with genuine surprise.
"Kind of, well, it varies." Nebula said, brushing a stray strand of her indigo colored hair off of her face. "Vacuo has always held a grudge against Vale, I don't doubt for a second that the council back home is laughing their asses off right about now. Roman Winchester halted the Vacuan advance, it was to be our last great push, the one that would win Vacuo the war. But in the end we were forced into the peace talks. So yeah, asking a Winchester for help was kind of like chewing glass."
"That's a mental image I didn't want." Russel winced at the idea and raised a hand to his mouth. "Still, you did what you had to do. Now your guys got enough food to, well, not starve like the rest of us. Best not mention to anyone though, don't want any unwanted visitors with pitchforks."
"No kidding," She lightly laughed. "Yeah, I heard about that. All the food stores are gone, as if things weren't bad enough." Nebula shook her head. "Just out of curiosity, you didn't have anything to do with that, did you?" She eyed the Thrush suspiciously.
"What would make you think that?" Russel asked, meeting her stare.
"I don't know, you did steal food for us."
"Let the record show that I did not start the fire." He mockingly held a hand over his heart. "That soothe your conscience a bit?"
"A bit." Nebula laughed, earning a smile from the Thrush. They were by the shore now, walking along the empty beach. Not too far away was the air strip and beyond that the SDC building. But here, there was no one, just the brilliant blue waves and the dark and weary sky. "There aren't beaches in Vacuo, just sand, lots and lots of sand." She remarked as she bent downward to scoop up and handful of coarse grains. Nebula then held it up and let the sand slip out from between her fingers.
"Yeah, there weren't any ocean wasn't anywhere near where I grew up either." Russel remarked as he took in the endless blue wonder that just disappeared over the horizon.
"Not originally from the city?" She asked, her curiosity piqued once more.
"Nope, grew up on a farm." Russel said, not seeing it as anything special.
"I've been a city girl my whole life, I can't imagine what that must be like." Nebula said, a kind of wonder in her eye.
"It's…" Russel paused for a moment as he thought the words in his head. He debated whether to say something blunt or negative about his time in Oakwood, about his youth. But ultimately, he decided against it, and spared the NDGO leader his life story. "Difficult. It was difficult."
"Did you have any animals?" Nebula asked, earning an odd look from the Thrush.
"You want to know if I had animals?" Russel asked in disbelief, an oddly amused smile forming on his face.
"Glad to see those ears of yours aren't for show." Nebula pointed to her own ears for show. "Now come on, you grew up on a farm, did you have any animals or not?"
"Yeah, I had animals." He finally admitted. "But I sold them off to a neighbor before moving for Beacon."
"You sold them?" Nebula raised a brow at the Thrush's choice of language.
The memories of the night The Iron Nail led the attack on Oakwood's farms, how his Father died alone in his arms in an open field from a heart attack. "…It's a long story."
"Oh." Nebula's eyes widened slightly at the implication. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"Don't be." He waved the notion off. "You got family?"
"A Mom and a Dad." Nebula answered vaguely in an awkward tone, regretting having caught onto Russel's precise use of words. "They're probably worried sick about me."
"That's what parents are supposed to do, right? Be worried about their kids?" Russel found himself saying, sounding unsure.
"Something like that, yeah." Nebula said as she raised a hand to rub her neck.
"Then it sounds like to me that you've got a decent set of parents."
"It was during Pyrrha Nikos' first championship tournament fight," Nebula spoke, feeling a bit nostalgic. "I sat there by the TV with my dad, and I was just absolutely crazy over the idea someone like me could stand there in front of the world." A bright smile appeared on the NDGO leader's face as she recalled the memory. "It was in that moment that I wanted to be a Huntress, I wanted to be just like Pyrrha Nikos, an invincible girl in my own right."
"Pfft." Russel couldn't help but laugh. "I bet that went over well with your folks."
"My Mom was absolutely livid at the idea," Nebula joined in the laughter, smiling brightly in a way that utterly captivated the Thrush's attention. "My Dad, on the other hand, was entirely supportive. How about you?"
"Both my parents were Huntsmen and my Dad pretty much wanted me to be one," He said truthfully. "But, it was ultimately my choice in the end, so you wanna know what I did?" He asked rhetorically. "I decided to be a Huntsman rather than a farmer."
Things grew quiet between them, with Russel silently lamenting over the subject of family while Nebula took in the view of the surrounding forest and nearby ocean which was a welcome change from the sore brown sandy dunes and mountains she'd come to know. "I like Vale," Nebula said, cutting through the silence. "I like the trees and everything, we don't have many trees in Vacuo."
"No offense, but Vacuo sounds like it sucks." The Thrush commented as they began to head back, the nearby sea growing further away with every step.
"It kind of does, yeah." The NDGO leader admitted, smirking slightly. "I'm not sure of your stance of when it comes to Faunus, but the divide between us and them is greater than it was here in Vale."
"Guess Vacuo beat Vale at something after all." He remarked dryly.
"It just so happened to be the worst thing possible." Nebula released an exasperated sigh. "When I decided to be a Huntress, I bought into the idea of protecting humanity whole heartedly. I just didn't get the memo at home that Faunus and Humans aren't to be considered in the same boat."
"That why Panini keeps giving you a hard time?" He surmised. "You tried treating Faunus and Humans equally?"
"Yep." She groaned. "We have riots in the Faunus Ghettos all the time these days, one day I think we'll have another Faunus Rights Revolution on our hands."
"Well, if it weren't for The Atlesians rustling everyone's jimmies, people like Panini would be calling for a purge of everyone Faunus."
"What The White Fang's done is unforgivable, but I'm not going to write off all Faunus."
"Then don't." Russel shrugged. "Do what you want, not what someone else tells you to."
"You make it sound so simple."
"It isn't," He said honestly. "But hardly anything is." He said as they arrived back at the laundry mat.
"Thanks for talking with me, I needed this." Nebula thanked the Thrush. "To get away and to just…to just decompress."
"It was my pleasure," He said over his shoulder as he walked away. "Take care of yourself, Nebula."
"You too Russel," She waved back. But Nebula did not immediately turn to enter the Shade student's dwelling, rather, she lingered for a moment, thinking over his words and watching his form disappear through the masses that cluttered the Melting Pot. "You too." She said before returning to the laundry mat, a content smile on her face.
On his way back to Hooligan's, Russel passed by the over bloated Chantry. If there was ever a sign of the times, you'd find it there. He could hear people arguing, shouting in front of the holy place's doors, a number of Valeans cornering a lonely Atlesian student, demanding that he leave the church's grounds. Not even the most holy and divine of places were safe from their bitter feuds. The Thrush paid them no further mind, pushing onward and finally reaching the hardware store which he now called home.
But something was amiss, as Russel stepped to the door, having fished his keys out of his pocket, he found the door to Hooligan's cracked slightly open. There was a rule the two of them had, doors closed at all times, even if anyone could come crashing through a window, Dove and Russel always kept the front door shut. Even if Dove seemed to be more on the shirking side, the Thrush knew he wasn't careless enough to neglect their one rule.
So then, Russel cautiously entered Hooligan's, finding the place even more of a mess than when he'd first found it. Far off to the back of the store, he could hear the feint echoes of shouts. Taking the initiative, the Thrush quietly tip toed through the store as not to alert anyone of his presence. The last thing he needed was a straight up fight, the wounds he'd sustained from The Ursa and from Mercury still burned all over. Not to mention his lack of weaponry and his abysmal aura supply made his chances even slimmer.
Creeping down aisles, the shouts grew louder and soon they began to feel familiar. Russel's eyes narrowed, recognizing the source as he entered the 'employees only' section of the store, the place where he and Dove had made their home. Turning at a corner, he soon found himself stumbling upon an impromptu interrogation.
"Where is it Dove?!" Jaune shouted at the CRDL boy as his teammates Ren and Nora scoured his living quarters in the Employee Break Room. "Where's Russel keeping it?"
Bound to a chair and sporting a bruising eye, Dove offered the JNPR leader only a curse. "Get bent." He slurred.
"I don't think he's going to be much help." Nora said over her shoulder as she dug up a duffel bag full of clothes and other assorted junk he'd collected from his scavenging in the city. But out in the corner of her eye, something caught the attention of the bombastic young woman. "Well what do we have here?" She said aloud to no one specific.
"You find it, Nora?" Ren asked, pausing his own rummaging in some nearby cabinets.
"Better," Nora shot her longtime friend and partner a toothy grin. Without pause, she produced a bag full of assorted candy and other dainty goodies. "I found his secret stash!" She exclaimed enthusiastically.
"H-Hey!" Dove stammered, wide eyed as Nora paraded his cherished goods in the open. "Drop those, now!"
"What if I don't?" Nora asked, a wicked idea crossing her mind. She then reached into the bag, retrieving an ordinary chocolate bar. She then tore open the wrapper and took one massive bite, earning a horrified shriek from Dove. "You guys want some?" She raised the stash into the air, presenting it to either of her teammates. "Plenty enough to go around."
"Those aren't yours!" Dove shouted frantically as he desperately attempted to break free of his binds.
"You know what, I think I'll have one." Jaune said, before walking over and grabbing a bag of gummies. He pried the packaging open then threw a trio into his mouth. "Mmm, been a while since we had some of these. I think I might just want to eat them all."
"…You animals." Dove practically cried.
"We'll stop, if you tell us where Russel hid it." Nora said before taking another bite out of her chocolate bar, finishing it completely.
"I don't even know what you're looking for!" Dove shouted as he violently thrashed against the rope that bound him to the chair. In the end, his efforts had the adverse effect of tilting onto his side, causing Dove to fall over and land in a rather uncomfortable position. "…ow."
"I don't believe you." Jaune said lowly. He then walked forward, gummies in hand and then crouched beside the fallen CRDL boy. He reached into the bag and drew another of the rainbow colored snacks before tossing it into his mouth. "Where is Pyrrha's headdress?" He asked in between chews.
"He doesn't know." Russel said, catching the JNR trio's attention. They turned down the hall and spotted the Thrush, fully stepping into Dove's living quarters. "Why is it whenever you want something from us, you always resort to extortion?" Russel asked pointedly, recalling how JNPR and RWBY had once ransacked their dorm room and held his pocket knife hostage for information on Cardin. "It's quite rude of you."
"Russel." Jaune muttered quietly as he met the Thrush's gaze. He then stood up straight and tossed the bag of gummies onto the floor beside Dove, causing the CRDL boy to whimper as a number fell out and onto the dirty floor. No ten second rule would save the poor confectionaries.
"Jaune." Russel took the opportunity to place his hands into his overall pockets, discreetly claiming his knife should he need it.
"I'm going to give you one chance," Jaune uttered quietly as he maintained eye contact with the CRDL boy. "Hand it over. It doesn't belong to you."
"Balls the size of coconuts, now eh?" Russel whistled. "Well, that doesn't matter. It doesn't belong to you either."
As long as Russel had known Jaune, he'd never once thought of the JNPR leader to be a physical threat. And if he were to ask his fellow classmates, he very much believed that would be the popular opinion of the blond knight. Jaune was the everyman who'd somehow lucked his way past the eye of Beacon faculty with his fraudulent transcripts, the poor brawler possessing a mind full of untapped potential, the comical goofball that the likes of Pyrrha loved and adored, the kind of poster boy for altruistic intentions.
To say he was surprised, when Jaune launched forward and clocked him across the jaw, would be a massive understatement. Russel went flying backwards, only to be caught by the color of his shirt before he could hit the ground. The Thrush stared up ward, meeting Jaune's fierce gaze as the blonde knight then with little show force threw him at a nearby wall. Hitting the wall back first, the air was promptly knocked out of his lungs. But there would be no reprieve for the Thrush as once more as the Knight grabbed at him once more and lifted him off of the ground.
"You're a thug, you know that?" Jaune glared. "Cardin, well he changed, he actually felt guilt and remorse. He made amends. And Dove? He was just a follower, a second stringer. But you, Russel, you've always been a terrible person. You're just scum."
"That's a mean thing to say," An empty laugh escaped the Thrush's lips. "Dove's more than just a second stringer."
"Thanks Russel…I think." Dove said from where he lay tied up on the floor.
"I can't believe people like you get to go on living while people like Pyrrha die," Jaune sneered, his eyes now watering. "She didn't deserve any of that, any this. And now some random asshole just owns all that's left of her." The words that left Jaune's mouth cut deep. It was an all too familiar rhetoric, one that had been spoken to Russel since he'd been a child.
A rage swelled within the Thrush's chest, his right hand now firmly grasping the knife in his pocket. But for a moment, he met the Knight's gaze and looked past the anger he held within his narrowed eyes. Russel could see the hurt, the guilt. Now he wasn't even sure if the Knight was talking about him at all, rather, perhaps he was referring to himself.
Jaune was still reeling from Pyrrha's loss, that much was evident given by the sheer lengths he'd go to retrieve a single aspect of her. But this was something else entirely. It left Russel thinking back to Beacon Tower, how Pyrrha alone had saved him from a doomed fall. He recalled how she was alone, not a single friend or ally at her side.
Given what he knew, Russel made his best educated guess. "You abandoned her, didn't you?" He asked, getting an angered reaction out of the blonde. With both hands busy suspending the Thrush in the air, Jaune made the best out of what he had at his disposal and bash his head forward, effectively head-butting Russel in the nose.
Russel groaned, not expecting the JNR leader to make such a move. It felt like the whole room was now spinning and he could feel a slight stream of blood began to descending from a nostril. "So is that a yes or a no?" He asked as he met the Knight's gaze once more.
Jaune's features twisted into an uncharacteristically mean scowl and the Thrush prepared himself for another head-butt. However, no attack came, Jaune simply lowered his head, unable to meet Russel's stare. "I could've stopped her." He choked on pained sobs. Jaune lowered Russel back onto the floor while maintaining his hold. "But she locked me in a rocket locker and launched me to the Safe Zone. She was my partner, my friend, I should've stopped her, and I could've saved her."
A moment passed and Russel could feel the sorrowful eyes of Nora and Ren looking onto them. This was what it was like to lose someone you cared about, this was how you dealt with it. "She was my friend too." Russel said, causing Jaune to look up and meet his gaze once more.
There was a dull, surprised look on Jaune's face, almost as if the notion of some sort of friendship between the Mistral Champion and the lowly CRDL punk was implausible. But Russel could practically see the gears turning in that brain of his, watching as Jaune connected all the dots and reviewed the facts. Then, without a word, Jaune released his hold and stepped away from the Thrush.
"I'm not going to leave without it, you know that right?" The Knight asked.
"Yeah, I know" Russel muttered as he wiped the blood from his face on his ugly mustard colored repairman's shirt. "But I ain't handing it over. What you gonna do now?"
Jaune paused for a moment, pondering what indeed he would do. "I don't know." He said honestly.
"Mr. Arc," A voice called from elsewhere inside the hardware store. "Your twenty minutes are up."
Jaune sighed, turning to his teammates he nodded over to the door. Without an explanation, the trio departed from Dove's quarters and exited the break room. As soon as they'd left, Russel rushed to his teammate's aid, releasing him from his binds, freeing him from his awkward position on the floor.
"So which one decked you?" Russel asked, pointing to Dove's bruising eye.
"I hear a knock at the door and open it," Dove shrugged as he leaned back down to retrieve the forgotten bag of gummies. "Next thing I know Nora's hammer bashes me in the face."
"Mr. Thrush, Mr. Bronzewing, would you two come out here?" The voice that had called away JNR said from down the hall. The pair of CRDL boys exchanged an unsure look, neither were in the best of shape at the moment and there was no telling what their visitor had in store for them. "I would have you know that we have precious little time on our side, so please, would both come out here?"
The pair exchanged another look uncertainty before ultimately deciding to meet their new house guest. Stepping into the main section of Hooligan's, to their surprise, they found another trio of familiar faces. Standing at the front by the main counter was one Professor Glynda Goodwitch, and flanking her, to Russel's own confusion, stood Danny Matchstick and Marie-Anne Cherri.
"Good Evening." Goodwitch flashed a smile.
"Howdy." Russel waved as he looked to the rest of the store in search of any sign of Jaune and the others. "So you gave them twenty minutes?" He asked, recalling Goodwitch's words.
"Thanks for that, by the way." Dove remarked, as he raised a hand to lightly touch his eye.
"As you've no doubt noted, their still in mourning. But that does not excuse their treatment of you, Mr. Bronzewing. You have my apologies." Goodwitch said, a hint of sincerity in her tone. "But, we have much to discuss."
"Why is it no one visits us just to say 'Hi'?" Russel shook his head before gesturing to the Beacon Professor's company. "So how do you figure into this?" Russel asked, nodding to the pair of 'Dunces'. "If you don't mind us asking?"
"Not at all," Marie-Anne shrugged. "The action's here, what else am I going to do? Go back to Oakwood and grow wheat?" She asked rhetorically, shooting Russel a pointed look.
"And you?" The Thrush turned to Danny.
"Fuck Atlas." The DNCE leader deadpanned. "The whole Kingdom's muted white and full of wanton fuckery."
"You're a class act, Danny." Russel said not skipping a beat. He then turned to Goodwitch with a quizzical look on his face. "I thought you weren't accepting us students as help, what gives?"
"Our situation with The Atlesians has made compromise the only solution to our predicament." Goodwitch answered. "I'm keeping the current roster small, however, taking a few who I know could get the job done."
"I'm certain that if you accepted all of us, we wouldn't be having none of this Militia nonsense." Russel spat with disgust.
"That's actually what we're here to talk about." Danny spoke up.
"Oh boy." Russel groaned.
"As you may be aware, in two days The Atlesain fleet will be arriving on our shores. What unfolds will be an informal occupation, with the Kingdom of Vale and all of our resources directed solely for the effort to strike back against Cinder and her allies." Goodwitch said darkly. "That is, unless we can convince General Ironwood such a course of action would be counterproductive to the safety of not only Vale and its people but to the world of Remnant as a whole."
"Then tell him that bringing his military here would only weaken Atlas, you don't need us to get an audience with the General." Russel folded his arms over his chest as he failed to see how he could possibly change the mind of one General Ironwood.
"Ironwood believes Atlas will fall, with or without his direct intervention. He claims Vale is now our enemy's blind spot, that if there were ever a place to mount a counter attack, this is it. I know he won't listen to me or the rest of the council, but there is another whom he might be willing to lend his ear to." Glynda "We need you to get Cardin to convince Ironwood against occupying Vale."
"Why's everyone so interested in Cardin these days?" He asked, recalling how Nebula and her fellow Shade students had also brought up the CRDL leader as if he were some sort of poster boy.
"You mean you don't know?" The Beacon Professor asked in a way that Russel couldn't discern as genuine.
"Don't give me that shit Goodwitch, I'm not exactly in the mood for games." He glared.
"Aside from being a known descendent of Roman Winchester, with Cinder tapped into the CCT, every device across the four kingdoms witnessed Cardin fight Emerald and Mercury in the service of Vale. Whether he knows it or not he's a public icon that people can rally behind." She informed the duo. "Ironwood recruited Cardin knowing this, he's using him to keep us in line, but perhaps if Cardin were to go against him, then maybe he would reconsider."
"Hold on a minute," Russel held up a hand. "I was there too and nobody's exactly lining up to heed my beck and call."
"Oh, yes, that." Goodwtich gestured to Marie-Anne.
"You're going to love this." Marie-Anne snickered as she produced a functional scroll. She dialed up an image and handed the device over to Russel. Depicted on the screen was an image of Cardin standing to ready to fight Mercury and Emerald, but in the corner of the frame beside the CRDL leader poked Russel's elbow. "Look on the bright side, you've still got your anonymity."
"It's too limiting out in the open anyways, too many people knowing your name and your business can be an awful thing." Glynda said in a knowing tone as Russel passed the scroll back to Marie-Anne. "But I hope you can help us, if not there's no telling how many people would die."
"I don't think The Atlesians would just start slaughtering us, if that's what you're saying." Dove said, now having finished the last of the gummies.
"You must feel it, can't you? We were already at each other's throats, but after last night we're on the brink of all-out war. By the time Ironwood's ships arrive, I doubt there'll be anything left of us."
"I'm certain you and the council could just talk to us, tell us not to kick off any mass killings or storming beaches with bricks and sticks."
"The council supports the idea of physically evicting our guests." "Dolm's even proposed propelling Lance Grimsby to notoriety in any chance to sabotage Cardin's influence on the people. That's why he was present last night, to challenge Cardin."
"That's not the only reason he was there," Russel muttered. "He started the fire."
"You understand the severity of such an accusation, don't you Mr. Thrush?"
"Last night, I may have snuck into the Atlesian camp in the SDC building." Russel admitted, but refrained from mentioning Dove's part in the escapade. "On my way out, I saw Lance and another liberating a Knight. You wanna bet that was the same one found in the fire?"
"This complicates things dramatically."Goodwitch said, bringing a hand to her chin as she mulled over the news. "He wasn't just there to challenge Cardin, he was trying to incite the riot then and there."
"Two birds with one stone." Marie-Anne remarked grimly. "We could go public, denounce Lance as a terrorist."
"Our source wouldn't exactly be credible," Goodwitch gestured to Russel. "As a known associate of Mr. Winchester, Dolm could spin it as slander and us as Atlesian sympathizers to consolidate his power."
"Well I doubt Lance is just going to sit around waiting for The Atlesian fleet to arrive," The Thrush said. "He'll kick something off sooner or later."
"I agree, but moving against him at this point in time would detrimental to our cause, which is a peaceful resolution."
"We can do something though, can't we?" Dove questioned.
"All paths lead to bloodshed," Goodwitch sighed dejectedly. "We've only delayed them, anything could set us off now."
"Unless Cardin's support in Ironwood's leadership wanes." Danny surmised.
"So what do you say, will you speak with him?" Goodwitch asked, all eyes turning to Dove and Russel.
The two exchange a look, then smirked. "Make it worth our while." Russel said, flashing toothy grin.
"I can't believe this." Marie-Anne shook her head in disgust.
"What do you want?" Goodwitch asked unfazed. To her surprise, however, Russel and Dove turned their backs to them and huddled closely, talking amongst themselves.
After a minute of quiet discussion, the CRDL boys turned back around to face Goodwitch and the Dunces. "Two things," Russel held out two fingers. "The first, and this is really important, so pay attention." He smiled. "You're going induct all of us Beacon students as full time Huntsmen."
"Absolutely not." The Professor responded quickly in a strict and firm manner.
"The entire reason why Cardin and half of the student body went on to join Ironwood's militia is because you would let them fight for their kingdom. Believe it or not, Professor, but this is the day they've been waiting for." He glared. "To proudly serve and protect Vale and its people."
She sighed. "I think I can accept the more seasoned students, given a review their field experiences."
"No," He shook his head. "It has to be everyone."
"What you're asking me to do is to throw your peers to their deaths."
"No, I'm asking you to save them." He corrected. "Because whose side do you think they'll be on when shit hits the fan? When everyday citizens who they believe they're protecting are attempting to seize the SDC building? They're already wearing Atlesian flags on their chests, why not go all the way."
"…I see your point. "Goodwitch said with a heavy sigh. "And your second condition?"
"One of ours is missing," Dove said, addressing the Professor. "We need help to find him."
"A lot of people are missing, most are presumed dead." Goodwitch sadly said.
"Yeah, but we've got evidence of our pal Sky being alive, so we'd greatly appreciate your help in find him." Dove said, earning a slight laugh from the Professor.
"You're in luck," Goodwitch smiled. "I might know where he is."
"Where?" Dove implored.
"Only when you succeed will I tell you." Goodwitch said. "With so much on the line, I hope that you do. So, is it a deal?"
"Yeah, it's a deal." They both nodded.
"Thank you." She finally said. With their business concluded, Goodwtich and the pair of Dunces turned to depart, making their way to the door.
"One last thing, if you would be so kind," Russel spoke up, catching Goodwitch and the DNCE duo before they reached the door. "Would you mind escorting Dove to a doctor? He just got ruffed up a bit and needs a look over."
"Whoa, wait what?" Dove exclaimed in surprise. "I've gotta be there, he's my teammate too!"
"Yeah, but you really should get some ice on that." He pointed to the swelling eye.
"I don't think that's wise, Russel." The Professor commented.
"Yeah, you don't even know where to find him!"
"Oh, yeah," Russel scratched his chin. "Do we even know where to find him?" He looked to Dove.
"Last I heard he had watchtower duty." Danny said, earning a thankful wave from the Thrush.
"Come on, I could help!" Dove protested further.
"Yeah, you could. But this is a conversation for two." He muttered before patting Dove on the back and shoving him forward. "A place at the front of the line would be nice."
Begrudgingly, Goodwitch and the DNCE duo dragged Dove off with them, muttering something about whether or not they were wrong to trust the Thrush with such an important task. But the fact of the matter was, who else could they send to speak with the Winchester? The answer was simple: no one.
Finding himself alone in Hooligan's, Russel set off to prepare. To the back of the store he went, to the broom closet where he called home. While scouring for his ice box, he paused his searching and turned his eyes to a pair of boxes in the corner. From behind the set of boxes, he pulled out Pyrrha's bronze headdress. He stared at it for a moment and sighed, thinking about the Spartan who once wore it.
He then glanced to the corner where the photos he'd received from Clover lay, of the Mistral Champion's apparent demise. The frame by frame images depicted Pyrrha turning to brilliant ash, just as Mercury had. Things were not as they seemed, Russel thought to himself as he studied the headdress in his hands. He thought back to Jaune, how he demanded he turn it over to him and how he claimed Russel had no right to possess it. Which was true, that much Russel admitted, he really did have no right. But the Thrush did not claim to own it, in fact, quite the opposite. The truth was, and just sound funny being said aloud, but he was holding it for a friend and was keen to return it one day.
So Russel returned the headdress to its hiding spot then continued to search for the ice box, eventually finding it behind his makeshift cot. He pulled open the lid and smiled at the sight of the six pack inside.
But there was one last thing to do before he would leave. Digging through another set of boxes, Russel retrieved his bloodied clothes and donned them. Walking out of Hooligan's, Russel locked the door behind him and sauntered off with his list of tasks, believing that it would indeed be one hell of a night.
It couldn't be that hard. He just had to talk to a few people, and that he was good at.
But unbeknownst to Russel, something within Hooligan's stirred. Out of nearby shadows appeared Ren, with Jaune and Nora holding onto the JNPR ninja.
"Color me impressed, I thought your semblance could only work on Grimm." Jaune applauded his teammate's power.
"Best not to let everyone know that." Ren couldn't help but smirk.
"Alright, onto business." Jaune said as he and his team opened the broom closet door. The Knight then reached behind the pair of boxes and drew Pyrrha's headdress.
"What now?" Nora asked as both she and Ren looked onto Jaune for direction.
"Now?" Jaune looked to his friends and smiled. "Now we take the fight to Cinder." He said as he turned for the door. "But before that, we gotta make one last stop." He flashed his friends a pearly white smile. "You guy's wanna go to Patch?"
This arc is probably one of my favorites so far. Both from a story and creative stand point, as it went through a total of three spate revised outlines, the first being with CRDL escorting Shade students to Vacuo, the second was actually similar in tone and premise as it is now, but it lacked the intrigue and all Beacon students joined a unified militia. It's just so fun to see how far this arc has come from when I initially conceived it.
As predicted in a number of the reviews from last chapter, Lance really is scummy enough to burn down the Food Depot himself. But, we'll talk more about him next chapter.
I like the idea of Cardin being this 'first responder' who runs to danger. The idea just stuck around and I think it suits him.
Russel and Nebula, I can safely say I'm the first one to throw that pairing together.
I think I wrote Jaune alright, he's in an emotional state right now as depicted in previous chapters in this arc, and this is really him cutting loose and showing he isn't the push over everyone thought he was by the way he manhandles Russel.
So, next chapter should be out by next week. 'Til then, later days!